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Ten Days In Greece -- Lots Of Pressure On Me To Get This Right!

I've been combing the Forum, and I am not finding a situation quite like ours. I am hoping the patient folks here can help me a little.

We will be five able-bodied (bordering on "robust") adults and one teen, and none of us has been to Greece. We will have 10 days around the first week of April 2012. Because our group is so large we will probably get a house through VRBO (unless you can think of other options).

We know we want to see Athens and historical sights/museums, and I have gathered that most folks recommend doing Athens at the end of the trip. (Can't figure out why, but we'll roll with it).

We have gathered that the weather will be cold-ish -- too cold for beaches/water. We love wandering in amazing little towns, eating local foods. We like ancient sites, but we become demoralized if the site is little more than a pile of rubble (we appreciate tour guides who help the rubble come alive). We dislike cruise ships and people who like cruise ships, and we are hoping there won't be too many cruisers in early April.

My daughter will cry her eyes out if she doesn't see Santorini. My husband is nervous about spending all of our time in one place + Athens, but also we don't want to island hop too much.

We are concerned about how all six of us will get around -- is it possible to rent a car on Santorni that accommodates a large group, or should we just assume we will be pedestrians?

Can anyone give us itinerary suggestions? Of our ten days, how should we allocate them between Santorni and Athens, and should we also go to Crete or another place that is lovely but very different from Santorni?

I just spent 7 days in Greece last month, along with 4 in Istanbul. Two full days is PLENTY for Athens. Climb the Acropolis. See the New Acropolis Museum. I also really enjoyed the Byzantine and Christian Museum. Then get the heck out of Dodge! I did a day trip to Delphi which was wonderful. Santorini was spectacular. There is nothing like it in the world. Being that it was September, it was plenty warm enough to do a 5 hour catamaran tour around the island, with sunning on the boat and swimming in the sea. Tour around Oia. It's the most beautiful town on the island. I also visited Boutari winery and spent a 1/2 day in Fira checking out the shops. 3 days in Santorini should be plenty. I think a car would be more hassle than it's worth. The buses go everywhere on the island you need, and there are plenty of cabs too.

1."We dislike cruise ships and people who like cruise ships" Well Cindy we're all tourists no matter how we cut it or stack it!

2."most folks recommend doing Athens at the end of the trip. (Can't figure out why, but we'll roll with it)" The ferries can be delayed or cancelled due to weather. If you leave the few last days for Athens as "padding" you won't miss your flight home.

3. Car rental: "to rent a car on Santorni that accommodates a large group..." I recommend hiring a car to tour Santorini if you have a large group. Check the parking situation in terms of where your accommodation is. Here's an eg. of a people mover - Fiat Scudo: http://www.odysseys.gr/santorini/index01.htm

4. Itinerary: So many ways you can do this. If you don't mind driving and navigating you could hire a van again. The itinerary below is a really rough one for suggested attractions. Greek experts welcome to critique! Depends on alot of factors. Time - eg.cut out Meteora if schedule is too hectic or spend one less day on Santorini. Can you get connecting flights to Santorini? Can you get a ferry to a southern location? Can you hire a car there? If not you will have to start from Athens etc. etc.

worldinabag has made a good plan... I'd drop (sadly) Meteora...
just too far and you have too little time.

A couple of thoughts:

- More important now than ever to use the 'Athens last' plan as
one never knows these days with strikes and slowdowns

- Sites will close early... 3 PM is the norm out of season so you need to plan for this. We drove from Athens to Delphi a couple of years ago and were only there for a couple of hours before we were unceremoniously shooed out.

- You may well find hotels inexpensive enough even for your group as you'll be out of season... ask for cash discounts too.
If you do go the VRBO route you CAN daytrip out of Athens easily enough to places like Epidaurus, Mycenae, Nemea, Tiryns and Corinth. Delphi too and I even did Olympia out of Athens in my youth... but stay in Nafplion a night or 2 if you can.

- Pack light... carry ons only and better if they are softsided too as you'll be tight for space in a rental van unless it's a full size 9 seater.

- Don't let the nervous drivers dissuade you from picking up your car and driving out of Athens. Not much different from big city driving anywhere. Have a map (GPS too if possible), have a plan and avoid rush hours if possible. The places to check for rental cars are AutoEurope.com, EconomyCarRentals.com (both brokers) and budget.gr (not .com!) which reputedly often has the best deals.

You won't have any trouble finding a vehicle large enough for all of you on Santorini. Avoid Odysseys Car Rental. The have been tagged for fraudulent charges to customer's credit cards. Check Vazeos and Spiridakos instead.

Be sure to go to your local AAA office to pick up an International Driving Permit, no test or membership required, for $15 plus a photo fee if you don't bring 2 passport photos with you.

You can take the daily Blue Star ferry from Santorini to either Naxos or Paros if you want to see another island, and you won't have to waste a whole day at sea, just a couple of hours. When you're ready, this same ferry will also take you back to Athens.

Ten days for Greece isn't very long, so you would be wise to fly straight to Santorini by connecting flight, then again by air back to Athens. With your interest in ancient sites, I agree that a few days in the Nafplio area, and possibly a trip from there to Delphi, would be a good itinerary.

Orthodox Easter is April 15th in 2012. Roads and ferries will be busy in the week leading up to Easter, with many people heading for their home villages for the holidays. Athens, in contrast, will be less busy during that period. Anyone who says two days in Athens is enough doesn't know the city. I have been there many times, and have only scratched the surface of things to see and do. With fewer tourists and the likelihood of good sightseeing weather, Athens should be a delight.

During my last trip to Greece, I took a cruise (heaven forbid!) but that was the most relaxing way to sample the many islands of Greece in a short time. Anyway, Santorini was the most beautiful so your daughter has made the right choice. I did the other major sites on the mmainland as well. Check my trip report below to get some idea on what is of interest to you for planning your trip.

Sigh....Two days is definitely not enough time to see Athens. Also, I disagree with the "wait until the end of your trip to see Athens" philosophy. If you have never been, then you owe it to yourself to see the amazing Acropolis and new museum upon arrival. I always pad my trip at either end, but frankly have never had an issue getting back to the airport and I use public transport often and travel at busy times of year. Other spots to see are Naufplion area and Delphi. I would choose one - remember less is more. After Santorini go to Paros or Naxos. I think you might like to see another island along with the scenic wonder of Santorini. Here's an idea for you:
Day 1,2 Athens
Day 3 Delphi
Day 4,5,6 Santorini
Day 7,8 Paros
Day 9,10 Athens

We just spent 2 weeks in Greece in mid-late Sept. and I would add a plug for Crete. We flew directly to Athens and then on to Chania, where we stayed 4 nights + 1 night in Iraklion (where we saw their amazing archeological museum and then took the easy public bus to the Palace of Knossos- well worth it).
Santorini is a must- we took the ferry from Iraklion which got us there in just a couple of hours. Skip a car- stay in Oia,and if you need to explore beyond take the bus or a taxi- very easy. If weather permits take the boat trip to the volcanic cone (gives beautiful views of Santorini from the water, too), but be sure and bring good sneakers. We spent a couple of hours in Fira and were so glad we didn't stay there-Oia is far more beautiful.
We spent 5 nights in Naxos, and at the risk of antagonizing all the Naxos lovers on this forum, I wouldn't go there again. A couple of days would have sufficed (and yes, we explored around the island- loved the village of Chalki- but were underwhelmed by Chora and by the beaches). With so many island choices it is hard to know where to go on the first trip to Greece- do your research and see what appeals to you (we wanted a combination of scenery/history/and beach time).
As for Athens- we loved it far more than we anticipated. We stayed 3 nights (2 very full days) and could easily have stayed another day. Do not miss the Archeological Museum as well as- of course- the Acropolis and the New Acropolis Museum. I wish I could have gone through the Benaki Museum too- the gift shop was awesome, but we had no time.
Now- the biggest heads' up I can give you is about being prepared for the uncertainty of what you may experience when you're there IF the current unrest is still in effect. To wit (with apologies to parosblue re: public transport): when we arrived in Chania the taxis were on strike (OK, we took a bus into town, BUT our hotel was a mile+ outside of town and we ended up having to walk it, pulling our bags-luckily we travel reasonably lightly- in the dark until we stumbled into our hotel (26 hours after we'd begun our trip from the west coast of the US...). When we arrived in Athens the metro was on strike (our hotel would have been quite handy to the stop) and again, another bus...this time the driver dumped us on the fringe of town, saying he couldn't go any further because of the protestors and that buses weren't getting through. NOT. We saw no protestors (lots of police, however) but lots of buses flying past...this time it was a 40 minute walk w/ bags to our hotel- in the dark, in a city we'd never been in before. And when we were to leave, the day after an air traffic controllers slowdown (which we'd tried to be proactive about and had contacted our airline ahead of time)- we arrived at the airport at 5 a.m. for a 7 am flight only to be told our entire itinerary had to be reworked as our flight was delayed due to...yes, you guessed it, the air traffic controllers' slowdown.
The moral of this story? You better be flexible and mobile if you're going to Greece these days. We loved Greece overall, but agreed that we couldn't recommend going there at this time to a lot of people we knew who'd freak out at having to handle these kinds of situations.
Maybe a cruise isn't such a bad idea after all! (not that we've ever done one or even wanted to). Good luck!

With ten days, I would not try to go to Crete. I have been to Greece three times, the last time just to Crete for 16 days. It is a long way to go, unless you are flying. I'm not saying don't go to Crete. I would certainly go, but I would go for much longer than you have. Visit an island or two, Santorini for sure, and as many others have said, visit Naupflion. This is my favourite place in Greece and it is a perfect place from which to do day trips. You can even take a trip to Olympia from there, though it is a full day bus tour. I don't know why people don't like Athens; It is a fascinating city. You don't go to Greece if you want it to look like home. Have fun.

Firstly Greece is a beautiful place.. you are going to love it (almost) wherever you go !! I live in Greece and am not a huge fan of Athens... it is definietly a MUST SEE but not for too long .. and I agree that is it probably best left until the end... Re: Santorini.. I have not visited.. but if it is a dream then it is a must do ( I have heard some very magical things about it though! ) Due to the weather still being on the chilly side in April, it is not exactly beach weather so I would tend to spend less time on the Islands and more on the main land.... Since you want to see some sites then I HIGHLY agree with everyone above that has recommended Nafplio and the surrounding areas... I may well be biased since it is the place I call home.. but especially in April the sites are in their highest element .. the wild spring flowers are the best that you will probably have ever seen .. making the sites such as Epidaurus and Mycenae even more stunning ! The best thing to do would be to rent a car (van) from Athens to get to Nafplio .. but you could always do that when you get to Nafplio also !! If you need any help with the Nafplio side of things just let me know .. Do not plan too much .. plans are made to be broken !

I am taking notes and combing books, and your comments are so helpful!

I think we are willing to chance Greece despite the turmoil. I doubt things will get to the point where there are feral bands of former union members roaming the streets. But if the situation has cratered by spring, we can always change the tix to say "Italy."

I like onebag's suggestion for a schedule. Just wanted to say to fly between santorini and mainland to save hassle and time.

Consider touring places like Delphi on your own (tours are very expensive check viator.com for prices and info).

Athens despite all its museums is not a favorite of mine, and because of the different and often transport strikes it will be a good idea for you to stay near the center or near a hop on hop off bus stop unless you plan on using a car in the city.

I visited Mycenae on my last trip in 2007 and enjoyed it immensely. Walking through the Lion Gate that Agamemnon would have walked under was a thrill.

After the fact, Fodors regular Nikki suggested a book... "The Tomb of Agamemnon" by Cathy Gere... wish I'd read it before hand. I think I found my copy on ebay.

We stayed at the Hotel Amazon in 2007 in Athens... an easy stroll to the metro or airport bus at Syntagma and the Plaka in the opposite direction. Plain but very clean and good size rooms... I see the Intercontinental (just down Syngrou past Hadrian's Arch so a bit out of the way but not horribly so) is often available on Priceline's NYOP for under $100. Worth it for that kind of money.

Look for apartments rather than hotel rooms. This sort of accommodation is common in resort areas, aimed at families who prefer self-catering. I'm not sure what will be available that early in the year, but you may be able to find, for example, a two bedroom apartment with additional beds in the living area that will hold all six of you. Another possibility is a combination of two adjacent studios, or a studio and a room.